Ideology and Politics Threaten to Assassinate America’s Oldest Institution By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
Killing the Mail
T
he United States Postal Service is the most ubiquitous face of the federal government (with over 34,000 offices, delivering mail to over 160 million addresses) as well as the most well-regarded (scoring 10 points higher than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2019). It’s in the Constitution (which it actually predates) and it’s helped bind Americans together ever since. But in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — when its service is more essential than ever — rightwing billionaires could finally realize their decades-long dream of destroying it as it now exists, and privatizing whatever fragments seem profitable enough for continued plundering. “For more than four decades, USPS has faced calls for privatization,” a February 2020 report from the Institute for Policy Studies noted. “Think tanks have led the charge, supported by corporations like United Parcel Service and FedEx that stand to gain from privatization.” With so much going on all at once, there’s a very real chance that the US Postal Service could be forced to close, before the public even realizes what’s happening, just when voting by mail is needed more than ever. “Some time between July and September, the post office will likely run out of money,” says Mark Dimondstein, president of American Postal Workers Union, told In These Times in mid-April. “And when they run out of money, their operations will cease.” “Democrats are going to have to step up to fix the situation,” Congresswoman Nannette Barragán told Random Lengths News, “because we just haven’t seen any Republican leadership on this.” A $25 billion grant was stripped from the $2.2 trillion CARES Act [See Institution, p. 16]
Why Your Mail is Late:
Proposed 102-Unit Building Approved
Report on the USPS By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
Gotta eat:
Virtual artwalk:
SP News Pilot archive p. 4
Where to order p. 12
Scroll through local art p. 15
1918 Flu Pandemic
Quarantine Dining Guide
First Thursday online
[See Demolished, p. 3]
April 30 - May 13, 2020
San Pedro history:
[See Mail, p. 17]
T
he Los Angeles City Planning Commission unanimously approved a four-story apartment complex at 1309-1331 S. Pacific Ave. in San Pedro. The proposed building’s 102 units — including 12 very low-income units — will replace three commercially zoned buildings and a parking lot. The proposed development will take up most of the block, said Jonathan Lonner, a representative of Burns & Bouchard Inc., the company that is representing RKD 13 PAC., LP, which owns the property. The site was a dance club, and before that, a bowling center. The planning commission granted three significant bonuses — that is, special exceptions to zoning laws — that were requested by Burns & Bouchard Inc. The bonuses will allow the developer to reduce required open space by 20%, to increase the project’s height by 15.5 feet and to increase floor area. The developers argued that the bonus was justified due to the inclusion of 12 very low-income units. In addition, the developer asked for a decrease in the size of the rear yard setback, which is the amount of space between the building and the curb. The requirement is 16 feet, but the developer
The Beacon Street post office branch customers in San Pedro practicing social distancing as they wait to be served. Photo by Joseph Baroud
While the battle over the future of the United States Postal Service has been and continues to be fought on Capitol Hill, Random Lengths News has been watching the ramifications of that fight play out in the deliveries of local mail and our own subscriptions. Some might blame this on the sheer incompetence of this often maligned government agency, but if truth be told, the problems of the U.S. postal system go much deeper. Due to lower staffing and financial issues, mail delivery in Los Angeles has become more sporadic. Over the past few years, mail delivery has come later in the evening. These later deliveries are defined by mail delivered
By Hunter Chase, Reporter
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Dancing Waters Club to be Demolished
1
City of Carson COVID-19 Response A message from the Carson City Council “Thank you, Carson residents for wearing your face masks and for your generosity during these most troubling times.� Albert Robles Mayor
Jim Dear Mayor Pro Tem
Lula Davis-Holmes Councilmember
Jawane Hilton Councilmember
Cedric L. Hicks Sr. Councilmember
City of Carson, CARSON COVID-19 UPDATES Future Unlmited The City of Carson has provided its residents the following services to encourage the success of the Stay-At-Home policy.
Disaster Control Council: The City formed a Disaster Control Council made up of Mayor Robles, Assistant City Manager John Raymond and other city support staff that meets twice a week. One of the successes of the Control Council is bringing a test site to Carson, which opened April 21 at UCLA Harbor General. A second test site opened during the week of April 28.
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Call Center: Residents can call (310) 952-1750 for resources and information. Live operators are standing by Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Food Distribution: Vulnerable residents can drive through for a Grab and Go Lunch Monday through Thursday starting promptly at 11:00 a.m. until supplies last. This distribution takes place in the east parking lot of the Carson Community Center, 801 E. Carson St., and is sponsored by the Lighthouse. Carson Essentials To Go: Residents can order groceries safely from their homes over the telephone, and city employees will deliver the package of their choice within 3 to 5 business days. Call (310) 952-1765 Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for more information, or to place your order. A city employee will drop your order off between 3 and 5 days of placing it. Order from three different packages based on family size that cost between $43 and $55. Meal Delivery: Task Force members are also helping the YMCA expand their Meals on Wheels program for seniors age 60 and up. To learn more call (310) 602-4909.
April 30 - May 13, 2020
Visit: ci.carson.ca.us
2
CITY HALL CONTACT Call (310) 830-7600, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday 24-hour automated: (310) 952-1700
701 E. Carson St., Carson, CA 90745 City Hall is closed to the public
Community Announcements:
Harbor Area Long Beach Expands COVID-19 Testing Sites
The City of Long Beach announced it is expanding testing options beyond its four current drive-through locations. The city added two new testing locations, one at Long Beach City College’s Liberal Arts Campus in East Long Beach and a soon to be announced location in North Long Beach. These sites will open within days. Long Beach will have the capacity to perform 1,000 tests a day, with one of the most robust testing programs in the state. Front line workers, including first responders, critical government personnel, health care professionals and grocery workers are eligible for testing regardless of symptoms. Personnel who are asymptomatic and believe they have been exposed to COVID-19 and desire to take the test may do so. Details: www.longbeach.gov/covid-19-testing
Applications Accepted for POLA Community Investment Grant Program
The grant program creates funding opportunities for small to large community events, programs and projects that benefit the port community and promote the goals of the Los Angeles Harbor Department. Funds come from the Harbor Department’s annual budget, which are self-supported from shipping and lease revenues, not from taxpayers. Grant applicants must reapply each fiscal year. Grant applications will be accepted until 4 p.m. May 11 via electronic submission only. Send documents in Word or PDF format to community@portla.org. Details: https://tinyurl.com/POLAgrantinfo
Join “Janice Journal Live”
Los Angeles County District 4 Supervisor Janice Hahn is hosting “Janice Journal Live,” a weekly update on COVID-19, at 11 a.m. Fridays on Facebook. Viewers should send their questions ahead of time to JaniceJournalLive@gmail.com and find the link for the live stream here https:// tinyurl.com/ybj77hq6.
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 40 Years
Back to Back Layoffs Announced at Two POLA Container Terminals PORT OF LOS ANGELES—As of April 24, PortlandTerminal.com reported that two terminals at Port of Los Angeles have informed their skilled longshore workers and 35 crane operators that they will be laid off. This was confirmed by sources at ILWU local 13 that said, “all of the steady crane drivers have been returned to the hiring hall.” This is not an uncommon practice when there is a down turn in shipping. Our sources said this is “just like in the 2008-09 recession.” Fenix Marine Container terminal (FMS) referred to as Pier 300 — the second-largest container terminal at POLA, told employees on April 23 that 35 crane operators will be laid off. Just before that on April 19, West Basin Container Terminal – China Shipping (WBCT) announced
to its workers that it will be making layoffs. China Shipping (North America) Holding Company Ltd. is fully equipped with the capacity to serve mega-ships and can service vessels with up to 14,000 20-foot equivalents. The terminal operates Berths 100-102 at the Port of Los Angeles and is owned by COSCO Shipping. Reportedly, all foremen and most crane drivers at West Basin Container Terminal will be laid off due to weak cargo activity at the container terminal. The timing of these layoffs is not yet known, but it appears imminent and will probably be through May and June. POLA, America’s largest container port, recently announced that its March container volumes were down by 31% versus 2019.
[Demolished, from p. 1]
Dancing Waters to be Demolished requested 5 feet instead. The developers’ request for less open space is based on their contention that the building will have open space, but that said space is considered a “side yard” and city regulations do not consider it as part of the building’s open space. The planning commission’s approval of the bonuses came under the advice of Los Angeles City Planner Connie Chauv.
bonuses requested.” Noel Gould, who is also a board member of Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council, was also critical of the project, but specified that he did not speak for the council. He pointed out that public records for the project are not accessible because the offices that hold them are closed. In [See Development, p. 19]
The Los Angeles/China Shipping layoffs were announced after similar news the previous week from the Port of Virginia, which said it will shut down one of its six terminals April 20, due to trade demand declines amid coronavirusdriven restrictions. This comes amidst the Chinese economy coming back online as they recover from the pandemic but as the demand for goods from Asia declines because of the quarantine here in North America.
available essentials: masks, bandannas, packaged food, toilet paper, blue can water
we are also a ups access point
new mon 2-6, tue-fri 10-6 hours sat 10-5:30, sun 11-4
321 W. 6TH ST., S A N PE D R O
310-514-1800
TheSurplusGuy.com
LA Animal Services Announces LA City Pets Lost and Found Facebook Group
LADWP Assistance
For Los Angeles Department of Water & Power electric customers, you may qualify for [See Announcements, p. 4]
April 30 - May 13, 2020
As part of the state’s response to COVID-19, Southern California Edison customers will get a credit on their electricity bill of $37 per typical customer for April as well as $18.50 per typical customer for both May and June (some customers may receive these credits in June and July). This is intended to assist Edison’s customers during this public health emergency, particularly those who are using more electricity as a result of staying or working at home. Details: www.sce.com/residential/assistance/ care-fera
Bill Credits for Customers of Southern California Edison
The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce supported the project, as did the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council and the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council, Lonner said. However, Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council did not support the project. Robin Rudisill, board member of that council, said the developer’s plan was misleading in that it only provided a view from the side and front, not showing the entire block of adjacent homes. “The project is adjacent to and will tower over an entire block of fairly low-scale residences which is one of the biggest issues of this project,” Rudisill said. In addition, Rudisill took issue with the requested relaxation of the city’s regulation. “They’re not just requesting a little over the maximums allowed,” Rudisill said. “They’re requesting a 52 percent height bonus and a 77 percent FAR [floor area ratio] bonus, which is over the top and outrageous, especially considering the bare minimum of affordable housing they’re providing, which clearly does not require the extraordinary level of density
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
A new online resource for LA City pet owners aims to help reunite lost pets with their owners. The new page, which can be accessed at facebook.com/groups/LACityLostandFoundPets, will be managed by LA Animal Services and will feature daily posts from residents who have either lost or found a pet, as well as include updates on the pets that have been reunited with owners. Submitting a photo and description of the found or lost pet on LA City Lost and Found Pets, as well as Nextdoor.com, Pawboost.com, or Shadowapp.com may also increase the reach of the message and improve the chances of families reuniting with their pet. In addition to posting on LA City Lost and Found Pets, individuals who find a lost pet can provide temporary home care for these lost or stray companion animals through the Shelter-atHome program. If you cannot provide temporary foster care, do not leave the dog or cat in an unsafe place. Please call 888-452-7381 right away and make arrangements to get them to the closest Animal Services Center. Details: laanimalservices.com/found-pet.
3
Spanish “Flu” Reaches Town on Schedule, Public Meetings Taboo and Halls and Churches Ordered Closed
—San Pedro News Pilot, Volume 6, Number 10, 11 October 1918
By the summer of 1919, the flu pandemic came to an end. Those that were infected either died or developed herd immunity. The below article from the San Pedro News Pilot, which is archived at the University of California Riverside, explains that what our city is doing today closely mirrors what was done 102 years ago. Almost 90 years later, in 2008, researchers announced they’d discovered what made the 1918 flu so deadly: A group of three genes enabled the virus to weaken a victim’s bronchial tubes and lungs and clear the way for bacterial pneumonia. — Random Lengths News Editors
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
SAN PEDRO, Oct. 11, 1918— “Spanish influenza” has made its appearance here. Even among those who have it, the opinion persists that it is nothing but the malevolent malady known years ago as la grippe, and shortened through familiarity to plain “grip.” But no matter what the name, the microbes that have been sweeping west have arrived. It is estimated that there are 150 cases in San Pedro. The effect of the situation was felt by the community far more by reason of precautions taken than by the ailment itself. A rigorous closing of all places in which people are wont to congregate has been ordered. No theater may open its doors after 6 o’clock this evening. The same rule applies to churches. Public meetings of any sort are forbidden. This spoils an entertainment and dance that the Knights of Columbus had planned for tonight In Liberty Auditorium, at which Joseph Scott was to be the speaker. The Jugo-Slavs were to have gathered on behalf of the Liberty Loan and this will not be permitted. Even the open air meeting that was to have been a feature of Saturday at the plaza, a point at which the launching across the channel may be viewed to advantage, had to be called off. The same is true of any proposed crowd. There may be no formal meetings indoors or out. Medical men have contended that even if the influenza appeared in this section its force would be light and its stay short, and they adhere to this opinion. They had been hoping that it would not appear at all. “In every crowd,” said Dr. G. T. Van Voorhees this morning, “there are certain now to be some infected persons who will be careless as to coughing and sneezing, and to guard against the spreading of influenza by this method is the only safe course.” “There is a great deal of fear,” said Dr. A. C. Stone. “People have become alarmed by reports of the influenza and it has caused them to be in a receptive mood. The best way is to keep in good health by proper food and fresh air, and to make up the mind that [you don’t] have it. I do not look for an outbreak here.” R. S. Sterns, camp worker for the Christian Scientists at San Pedro expresses regret that so much has been said on the subject and apprehension excited by prophesy that influenza was bound to come. “I blame the newspapers somewhat,” he said. “They have taught people to look for the symptoms. In other words, they have spread the trouble through the minds of the public.” As to how far the influenza has invaded the army and navy no word is given out. It has entered a number of homes, however, and in one instance every member of a family of seven is down with it.”
Spanish “Flu” Simply Grip on this Coast
April 30 - May 13, 2020
—San Pedro News Pilot, Volume 5, Number 308, 2 October 1918
4
The report that a group of 50 naval recruits brought here from Memphis, Tenn., are victims of Spanish influenza was denied yesterday by City Health Officer Powers, who declared that the sailors are suffering from plain old-fashioned grip. Dr. C. A. Smalley, who is attending Lieut. Henry R. Hogaboom, recently returned from the East, declared that the officer’s ailment, at first feared to be the influenza, says no genuine case of Spanish influenza has yet come to his attention in this county.
Community Announcements:
Harbor Area
[Announcements, from p. 3] additional bill assistance depending on your household income and age, as well as if you or anyone in your home use life-sustaining medical equipment at home. Details: www.financialassistance
SoCalGas Bill Assistance
Southern California Gas customers may also qualify for bill assistance depending on your household income through the CARE program. Eligible customers receive a 20 percent discount on the gas service bill. Details: www.assistanceprograms.
Resources for Elderly in Long Beach
Long Beach partnered with World Central Kitchen to help the elderly that are in selfquarantine and may face unique challenges to meet their physical, social and emotional needs. World Central Kitchen is partnering with local businesses to provide nourishing meals for care facilities for older adults. World Central Kitchen is funding local restaurants to cook the meals and is partnering with local UPS drivers to deliver them. Details: 562-570-4636, WCK.org
Free Food Resources for LA County Residents
LOS ANGELES — An estimated 2 million people in Los Angeles County suffer from food-insecurity issues on an ongoing basis. That vulnerable community is sure to increase because of pandemic-related economic losses in the months to come. The county is mobilizing a countywide response to hunger by coordinating public agencies, nonprofits and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the weeks and months to come. The county is also launching new digital resources to help members of the public access food at no cost — including program sign-up information, maps and frequently asked questions https://tinyurl.com/LACountyfoodsources— within the County COVID-19 website. Individuals/Families in Need Can: Get help with food expenses. CalFresh is a Nutrition Assistance Program that can help people in low-income households purchase food by increasing their food-buying power. Details: https://tinyurl.com/getcalfresh. Find free food near you. County agencies and partners that provide free groceries and meals are expanding their services during COVID-19. See options and find food distribution sites near you. Some programs also provide delivery. Details: www.tinyurl.com/y86qv4ms Get food delivery assistance through the county’s critical delivery services program that delivers food and other vital items to adults age 60-plus and individuals with disabilities who are unable to leave their homes. Items must be prepaid and ready for pick-up. There is no cost to the client for delivery. Details: 1-888-863-7411
Spanish Flu Pandemic Ends
By the summer of 1919, the flu pandemic came to an end, as those that were infected either died or developed immunity. Almost 90 years later, in 2008, researchers announced they’d discovered what made the 1918 flu so deadly: A group of three genes enabled the virus to weaken a victim’s bronchial tubes and lungs and clear the way for bacterial pneumonia. Since 1918, there have been several other influenza pandemics, although none as deadly. A flu pandemic from 1957 to 1958 killed around 2 million people worldwide, including some 70,000 people in the United States and a pandemic from 1968 to 1969 killed about 1 million people, including some 34,000 Americans. More than 12,000 Americans perished during the H1N1 (or “swine flu”) pandemic that occurred from 2009 to 2010. The novel coronavirus pandemic of 2020 is spreading around the world as countries race to find a cure for COVID-19 and citizens shelter in place in an attempt to avoid spreading the disease, which is particularly deadly because many carriers are asymptomatic for days before realizing they are infected. Each of these modern day pandemics brings renewed interest in and attention to the Spanish Flu, or “forgotten pandemic,” so-named because its spread was overshadowed by the deadliness of World War I and covered up by news blackouts and poor record-keeping.
Evidence Suggests COVID-19 Cases Higher than Previously Estimated
LOS ANGELES — USC and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released preliminary results from a collaborative scientific study that suggests infections from the new coronavirus are far more widespread – and the fatality rate much lower — in LA County than previously thought. The results are from the first round of an ongoing study by USC researchers and Public Health officials. They will be conducting antibody testing over time on a series of representative samples of adults to determine the scope and spread of the pandemic across the county. Details: 213- 240-8144; media@ph.lacounty.gov
US-Cuba Normalization Webinar
Join a webinar in celebration of May Day with workers around the world working towards solidarity, not sanctions or blockades in the struggle against COVID-19. The webinar allows 45 minutes to one hour for presenters, followed by 45 minutes to one hour for questions. Time: 4 p.m. (Eastern), 1 p.m. (Pacific) May 2 Details: US-Cuba-normalizationWebinar For ZOOM technical support click here; https:// july26.org/zoom-help/
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
April 30 - May 13, 2020
5
LA County Braces for Major Decline in Sales Tax Revenues
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County’s economic outlook has taken a hard hit from the COVID-19 crisis, with officials forecasting a $1 billion decline in sales tax revenue this fiscal year ending on June 30, 2020. Looking ahead, the sales tax decline is expected to surpass $2 billion between now and the end of the next fiscal year on June 30, 2021. At the same time, Los Angeles County is incurring heavy expenses in responding to the crisis and will be working closely with the state and federal government in the months ahead on issues of potential reimbursement. In anticipation of the economic challenges ahead, Chief Executive Officer Sachi A. Hamai has imposed hard freezes on hiring and purchasing and has directed county department heads to prepare for a range of potential program reductions in the coming fiscal year. The recommended budget for fiscal 202021— prepared in large part before the COVID-19 crisis was declared a global pandemic — will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on April 28. Project Roomkey Debuts in the 4th District SAN PEDRO— Project Roomkey is up and running at the Sunrise Hotel in San Pedro, one of nine Los Angeles County hotels and motels that will be used as temporary shelters during this crisis. The goal is to have 15,000 rooms in the program by the end of the month. Residents will have three hot meals a day, 24/7 security, and experienced medical staff on site. The new residents have not been diagnosed with COVID-19 but anyone over the age of 65 or who has a chronic health condition is at high risk of getting seriously ill if they catch it. Everyone has their temperatures checked at the door and are monitored for symptoms daily.
April 30 - May 13, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
[See News Briefs, p. 10]
6
Carson Fighting High Rate of COVID-19 By Joseph Baroud, Contributor In Southern California, news coverage of COVID-19 has largely overlooked the infection rates in smaller cities like Carson. Carson has one of the highest per-capita rates of infection in the county at 204, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health’s statistics. Each city is responsible for providing its residents with the information and resources necessary to have the best chance of surviving this outbreak. More than 43,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19 and there have been 1,755 confirmed deaths in Los Angeles County alone as of April 27. The main concern is stopping the spread of this disease, hence the stay-at-home orders and the shutdown of businesses across much of the country. As a result of Carson’s infection rates, the city has stopped the bus lines. The Los Angeles County Public Health Department is working with the county fire department to test people for COVID-19 at test sites all over the county. The county requires every city to partner with the fire department and a local clinic or hospital before providing the test site. The test sites are drive-thru and people administer the test themselves by staying in their car and swabbing their mouths. The city formed a disaster control council made up of Mayor Albert Robles, Assistant City Manager John Raymond and other city support staff, which meets twice a week. Its job is to plan and oversee the city’s response to the crisis. One of the successes of the disaster control council was bringing a test site to Carson, which opened April 21 at UCLA Harbor General. A second test
Carson’s city leaders practiced social distancing as they announced the opening of a COVID-19 testing site at UCLA Harbor General hospital on April 21. File photo
site opened during the week of April 27 at the Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center. “The reason we’re so adamant about this is there are 88 counties [in Los Angeles] and Carson has the worst test rate,” Robles said. “I’d rather say, sorry for the inconvenience than, sorry for your loss.” The city has also been taking steps to ensure that every resident has a mask, food security and is able to obtain essentials. Robles was critical of the LA County Public Health Department. Robles accused the county department of not releasing information on the numbers of people who’ve contracted COVID-19 or have died from the coronavirus. He noted that this can be a deterrent to helping communities like Carson, which has many senior care facilities — where COVID-19 has thrived most. The city has implemented a grab-and-go
lunch program at the Carson Community Center. It operates Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. The city also set up a food-delivery program, which primarily serves senior citizens. Either people who use the delivery system or their family members can call 310-952-1765 and place an order Monday through Thursday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. A city employee will drop the order off between three and five days of placing it. There are three different packages that can be ordered between $43 and $55. Gov. Gavin Newsom has made the lifting of stay at home orders contingent on an increase in negative test results statewide. In the meantime, Robles is urging residents to follow the limits in place and keep calm until the pandemic is over. For further information about resources in Carson, visit ci.carson.ca.us. Weekly city council meetings, are streaming there.
COVID-19 Test Center Opens at Harbor General, Another to Come By Joseph Baroud, Contributor
The lack of testing has left municipalities blind to how far and wide asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 have spread. In response, cities, including the city of Carson, have been pushing for testing sites. One finally opened on April 21 at UCLA Harbor General Hospital. The Los Angeles County Health Department partnered with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and UCLA Harbor General to open
In order to get tested you must be showing some symptoms of COVID-19. Test results, whether positive or negative, are emailed to the patient within three to five days. If the patient tests positive, the patient will also receive a phone call with further instructions on how to proceed. Mayor Albert Robles and the rest of the city council have been working on securing another
Nurses man the drive through testing site at UCLA Harbor General parking lot. Photo by Joseph Baroud
a test site, which has the capacity to conduct 350 tests daily. Behind the emergency room building, there are two black tents with nurses administering tests. Patients can be tested from the comfort of their vehicles. Nurses covered with their personal protective equipment from head to toe will ask you to cough hard into your arm twice, then swab the inside of your cheek for 10 seconds, then swab the roof of your mouth for 10 seconds. The swabs are then placed inside a container and sealed in a bag for shipment to the lab for testing.
test site that is within Carson’s city limits. He announced at the April 21 council meeting that the city of Carson is partnering with U.S. Health Fairs, an organization dedicated to rapid testing. They are opening another test site in the city during the week of April 27. Results will be available within one day. Like the county test centers, this one requires the person to make an appointment at u.s.healthfairs.org. And like the county sites, this test is free, but people with insurance will have their insurance companies billed and people without medical insurance will
be exempted from payment. But, unlike the county sites, they will be testing asymptomatic people. This is important because a lot of people with good immune systems could very well have COVID-19 and not even know. They wouldn’t quarantine themselves being oblivious to the fact that they’re carrying it and would be able to unknowingly spread it amongst many others. Results from both sites will be confidential. Residents without vehicles will still be able to get tested. There will be a seperate section for walk-ins. Los Angeles Fire Department Public Information Officer Pono Barnes said that besides testing, they’re offering numerous ways to keep the public informed about what to do, what to expect and how to deal with this pandemic. For people who don’t have COVID-19, and for people who do have it, the best way to stay without it, or to deal with having it is information. “We have a number of resources echoing this message,” Barnes said. “We have a joint information center setup at the county emergency center and this consists of a number of departments and numerous agencies, a multiprong approach you could say. We’re echoing it to our supervisorial district from the local municipality. We have social media campaigns. We’re reaching out to the city’s managers’ offices. We’re utilizing our health care partners and their network of notifications and emails to make sure that message is spread out. We hold a daily press conference at 12:30 p.m. We use traditional media. We have radio, digital. We’re pretty well diversed.”
[News Briefs, from p. 6]
Sen. Bradford Secures PPE Donation for Medical Professionals
CARSON — California’s 35th District Sen. Steven Bradford hosted a press conference, April 27 at California State University, Dominguez Hills to discuss a donation that he secured of 1,000 face shields produced by CSUDH students with 3D printing to protect Committee of Interns and Residents/Service Employees International Union, Resident Physicians at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center who are on the frontlines of the pandemic. The face shields were produced under the direction of Kamal Hamdan, Annenberg-endowed professor and director of the Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE). In response to the call for face shields from health care professionals, Hamdan began working with students to produce the shields with CISE’s large bank of 3D printers, with the capability to produce at least 100 shields per hour. The production of face shields for Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is one several efforts at CSUDH to produce and supplement supplies for healthcare professionals and the community. Business Improving at LA, LB Ports SAN PEDRO — On April 17, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said that the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles this past week were up 20% and were at their highest level in nearly two months. Seroka anticipates that there will be a higher container volume in April as manufacturing in China normalizes and some U.S. businesses replenish their inventories. Seroka also noted that work on key port construction projects, such as the Badger Avenue Bridge and LA Waterfront, has not been impacted and will continue. [See News Briefs, p. 10]
Real News, Real People, Really Effective April 30 - May 13, 2020
7
The Upside, the Downside and the Downright Stupid Coronavirus is a dangerous opportunity By James Preston Allen, Publisher
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
The thing about a crisis is that it brings out both the best and the worst in people. It exposes those with true leadership skills and those who lack it and it reveals the people who just want to sit in a chair or grandstand at the bully pulpit only to expose how truly ignorant they are. Every crisis has opportunities both good and bad. This COVID-19 pandemic has both. The upside of it is that in Los Angeles we haven’t had such clean air or mild traffic conditions since they did away with the Red Cars. Not that many of us are traveling anywhere soon, but the price of gas is at a six-year low and will probably drop lower. And, for the most part we have the majority of the population following the rules (except in Huntington Beach) about face masks, social distancing and hand washing. Just when was the last time this happened? Crime is down significantly. Also, when was the last time the federal government just decided to send you a check, not a tax refund but just because you needed some cash? Oh yes, people just seem a lot more considerate too — it has something to do with facing one’s own mortality, I suppose — making everyone a bit more humble. And, the amount of recognition the frontline workers of the “essential economy” are receiving is really quite amazing — nurses, doctors, grocery clerks, janitors, delivery drivers, home care workers and the people who pick your produce. When have these people ever been considered heroes for doing their jobs? They don’t wear badges or impressive uniforms while saving people from burning buildings, but still here they are the heroes of this pandemic 2020. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Gov. Gavin Newsom both have taken the lead not only with the coronavirus but the plague of homeless simultaneously. It’s about time. It takes a crisis to solve a crisis I suppose, but I predict we’ll cure the COVID-19 pandemic before we cure homelessness. There are thousands of people in Los Angeles who have stepped up to help these more vulnerable neighbors and others who may go without food or perhaps toilet paper, who have filled the vacuum left in the wake of this crisis. These are the people I consider true patriots, real Americans, who selflessly
sacrifice for the common good. This, of course, comes in direct response to the lack of leadership at the very top. I find it even more gratifying that in a corporate commercial culture that we operate in, where everything has a price tag and competition is taught like a religious mantra, that the words “we are all in this together” has become the slogan of the day. One that I hope we don’t forget moving forward out of this lockdown and one that reveals how just interconnected we all are biologically, socially and economically. It even sounds a bit like the slogan adopted by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, “An injury to one is an injury to all.” A radical idea from the progressive era around the time of the 1918 pandemic. This newly popularized idea might just give the working class of America the thought that the real wealth of this nation comes from their productive work and not the “trickle down” from above. If they ever became fully cognizant of this fact that wealth is created from the bottom up and acted upon the intent of that slogan for better wages or national health care or stopping the next war, the government would have to concede much like it has today, in less time than it takes Donald Trump to spell hydroxychloroquine. Now, the down side is nearly every small business in America is hurting, many may go out of business or barely hold on praying to get a payroll protection payment — a Small Business Administration loan that may be forgiven or maybe not. Still, when has the federal government ever been so generous to small businesses? The chaos of the response to this pandemic has exposed a vulnerability in our healthcare system, the supply chain of pharmaceutical products not produced in North America and the incompetence of the federal government to execute a coordinated national strategy to both defend from and deal with the pandemic once here. The daily changing of positions from the White House briefings to whatever is twittered have just become so bizarrely farcical that the only way to deconstruct them is to listen nightly to the comedy of Stephen Colbert or John Oliver. The problem is that no one takes the most powerful president in the world seriously
April 30 - May 13, 2020
Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com
8
Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya
“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to make people mad enough to do something about it.” —Mark Twain Vol. XLI : No. 9
Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at over 350 locations throughout the Harbor Area.
Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg paul.rosenberg@ randomlengthsnews.com
anymore, except when he threatens a governor or the World Health Organization with stopping funding, or says something erratic about using disinfectant to treat the virus. Then it’s like walking on eggshells. Don’t piss The Donald off or he’ll throw a tantrum and then fire the only person standing next to him that’s not kissing his ass. Is he actually suspending his daily briefings or is this just another zig in his zag? Clearly, we’ve all seen incompetence before,
even willful ignorance and self-indulgent narcissism, but I don’t think this nation has ever elected a president who personifies all three and then allowed him to just grift the system for his own benefit. This is just down right stupid and yet here we are with a guy totally unfit for office who couldn’t be convicted of impeachable crimes, with all the evidence pointing to guilty, and who still has poll ratings of over 40%. We have to ask ourselves how did this happen?
Learning at a Distance Field Notes from a temporero of the mind By Erik Kongshaug, former RLN editor
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
— from Rumi, a Sufi poet, 1207-1273 A Great Wagon
For “a salary in the high two digits,” as Calvin Trillin used to say of his column writing, I currently transfer knowledge, 40-hours-a-week part time, to 23 twenty-something students. Twenty-three and me, two-dozen souls only meant to meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, which we still do in a way, zoomilacrum, 9:30 a.m. sharpish (Pacific Standard Time). Psssst … except the physical senses, through which they receive said precarious knowledge from me, spread slowly — not dissipating I hope — but anyway move statically across our counties and state, this nation, the globe. They move away from their former potential presences in a state-of-the art smart classroom I have never yet entered, now locked down empty on the
Columnists/Reporters Andrea Serna Arts Writer Melina Paris Staff Reporter Hunter Chase Staff Reporter Send Calendar Items to: 14days@randomlengthsnews.com Photographers Terelle Jerricks, Raphael Richardson, Chris Villanueva Contributors Joseph Baroud, Mark L. Friedman, Erik Kongshaug, Greggory Moore, Gretchen Williams Cartoonists Andy Singer, Jan Sorensen, Matt Wuerker
campus of the University of California Irvine. The Anteater Learning Pavilion, ALP 1100, as my Canvas course site still reads, has pod chairs and telecasters—the works. In truth, I preferred teaching in the Social Science trailers. I like magic markers. But, as for my students’ static movements: consider just one from somewhere nearish at present, scheduled to fly early May to a 14-day spotty wifi quarantine in Shanghai. Me, I just no longer commute from San Pedro. From whence I transfer knowledge for the practice of Argument and Research (Writing 39C) on my lonely theme of problems and purpose in the U.S. K-12 education, whose doors of course are far more snugly shut and locked [See Distance, p. 9]
Design/Production Suzanne Matsumiya, Brenda Lopez
Address correspondence regarding news items and tips to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email: editor@randomlengthsnews.com.
Editorial Interns Jordan Darling, Nick Vu
Send Letters to the Editor to james@randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, letters must be signed with address and phone number (for verification purposes) and be about 250 words.
Display advertising (310) 519-1442 Classifieds (310) 519-1016 Fax: (310) 832-1000 www.randomlengthsnews.com
For advertising inquiries or to submit advertising copy, email: rlnsales@randomlengthsnews.com.
Random Lengths News office is located at 1300 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731
Annual subscription is $40 for 27 issues. Back issues are available for $3/copy while supplies last. Random Lengths News presents issues from an alternative perspective. We welcome articles and opinions from all people in the Harbor Area. While we may not agree with the opinions of contributing writers, we respect and support their 1st Amendment right. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #0891-6627). All contents Copyright 2020 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.
RANDOMLetters In Solidarity with Essential Workers and Our Community
As California begins the process of possibly reopening society, ILWU Locals 13, 63 and 94 at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, would like to take the opportunity to thank essential workers for their tireless work during this trying time. At a time when so many Americans were told to stay home, the members of Locals 13, 63, and 94 continued to show up for work day after day. It is because of their work that hospitals received the pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment needed by doctors and nurses. It is because of their work that so many families
had the supplies they needed to remain in their homes and slow the spread of the virus. We also want to thank the Harbor Area and surrounding communities for supporting our members. Knowing that our families, local businesses, and schools are behind us makes it a little bit easier to keep going during such a stressful and anxious time. There are, of course, essential workers throughout our communities. We recognize the doctors, nurses, paramedics, support staff, and custodians who provide critical care to patients at hospitals and medical facilities. These workers are truly frontline heroes, and we all owe a great debt of gratitude to them for their
[Distance, from p. 8]
At a Distance
than those of our public universities, defunded to their jambs inside that great metaphorical wall we call the digital divide. As a matter of fact, my child’s eleventh grade classes at Pedro High School are only now sliding that thin brass check to let in just the slightest partial eclipse of light through its peephole. Today, I just got an imaginary virtual block schedule tentatively in the email. Tomorrow, I’ll have my mandatory virtual office hours, in which each of the 23 will pitch me their self-selected policy-failure based problem — problems of funding, problems of curriculum, problems of “human resources.” I’ll join Pedro’s School Site Council’s first Title 1 meeting since the shock. Our school-based management resumes next week. The Greene-Act agenda speaks of approving new minimum days. And really, given the obstacles, Pedro and the Los Angeles Unified School District more generally have done admirably. Even erstwhile and likely future corporate reformer Austin Beutner has risen towards his best in the crisis.
selfless service. We also recognize grocery store clerks who allow us to keep our homes stocked with food and supplies. Men and women who deliver packages and food to our front doors. Police officers and firefighters who keep us safe and rush to our side when duty calls. Public health officials, teachers, bus drivers, sanitation crews, warehouse workers — there are so many people who have pulled together to keep our society going. There’s a lot of uncertainty in our world right now but one thing we know for sure: we are incredibly grateful for the essential workers whose jobs help protect us against this pandemic. COVID-19 is testing the community’s strength and resilience. No question this is a really difficult time ultimately it reminds us what is important in
As for me, I’m a continuing lecturer, and member of the American Federation of Teachers fighting 2226 (whose uncompensated grievance collective didn’t quite materialize today for its Zoom meeting as I write). No Child Left Behind was only just slowly trickling up to public higher ed from its selfinterested incubation in our public high schools. It happened the same way gentrification was only slowly trickling east to San Pedro from Long Beach. Both derived from the fever dreams of the early ‘80s and Ronald Reagan’s forgotten recession. Now what? Our problems are stripped naked, our purposes twisted obscure. In one character’s fever dream sung from The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie used to say back then that the houses of the rich were built from fear, the houses of the poor from confusion. Enter the virtual gatehouse: nand/nor. Kierkegaard’s existential moment of choice is now delivered by algorithm. Still, inefficient, we teach.
life. Sitting down for a meal as a family. Hugging a friend hello. Meeting a grandbaby for the first time. Never again will we take these small moments for granted. We’ll look back and remember a time when we couldn’t be together, couldn’t touch, couldn’t connect. This crisis is an opportunity to forget what divides us and focus on coming together as one community. From the leadership of ILWU Locals 13, 63 and 94
Good Job, Donny!
I read your front page and it’s ridiculous. Trump has done an outstanding job so far. Did you know that 3 million people die a year from the mosquito? China is at fault. why don’t you write about something closer to home like Gov. Newsom giving $125 million of coronavirus funds for the American people and not to the illegals? Cheryl Pellettieri San Pedro Ms. Pellettieri, I assume you’re referring to our cover story, Pandemic: Trump’s Timeline of Failure and Deception. If there’s something incorrect in our coverage, let us know. If you’re saying Donald Trump has done an outstanding job, you’ve set a very low bar. Mosquito-borne deaths: there are several diseases associated with mosquitos. And, while China’s handling of the virus has caused problems, Trump’s erratic and inconsistent response is more
directly attributable to American deaths from COVID-19. There are worse things a government can do than Gov. Newsom giving $125 million in stimulus money to formerly employed undocumented migrants, who are underpaid and contribute to our economy. Thanks for reading. We appreciate your letter to the editor. Terelle Jerricks Managing Editor
Oil Tanker in the Bay
Happy Earth Day, just the facts, from Associated Press: “Oil tankers carrying enough crude to satisfy 20% of the world’s consumption are gathered off California’s coast with nowhere to go as fuel demand collapses.” Thank you to Republican Richard Nixon for the EPA. Thank you to Republican Donald Trump for bringing our public health and the US economy to its knees. Richard Havenick San Pedro
And from our Facebook Feed …
Maybe I’m overreacting, but does anyone see a conflict of interest here? Washington (CNN) The Trump family business is asking the federal government to give President Donald Trump’s hotel in Washington, D.C., a break on its monthly lease payments during the coronavirus pandemic, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The Trump Organization has looked into changing the Trump International Hotel’s lease payments to the General Services Administration in recent weeks, according to The Times, which cited people familiar with the matter. The D.C. hotel is housed in the Old Post Office building, a federally-owned property on Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Capitol building. The hotel is currently paying a monthly rent of $267,653 to the [See Letters, p. 19]
Erik Kongshaug is a former Random Lengths News editor, novelist, professor of creative writing at UC Irvine and a resident of San Pedro. Real News, Real People, Really Effective April 30 - May 13, 2020
9
EPA Uses COVID-19 As Excuse to Rescind Environmental Regulations By Mark Friedman, RLN Contributor
April 30 - May 13, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Not to be outdone by President Donald Trump’s ongoing degradation of the environmental regulations instituted since the first Earth Day 50 years ago, Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler chose the anniversary to gut a rule that compelled the country’s coal plants to reduce emissions of mercury and other health hazards. Wheeler, a former lobbyist for the coal industry, said that “we have put in place an honest accounting method” that balances the cost utilities with public safety.” Sorry, it’s one or the other, profits or safety and he has decided to put utility profits over the health of people who are severely impacted by mercury emissions, especially children. Citing a threat from the virus, the EPA suspended enforcement of a wide range of health and environmental protections on March 30. The EPA waived enforcement of a range of legally mandated protections over water, air and land saying that industries would have trouble complying with them during the pandemic. Of course, the energy companies topped the list, seeking relaxation of environmental and public health enforcement so they could continue to pollute at will the air, water and land in our communities. The EPA’s decision also eliminated fines or other civil penalties for companies that “failed to monitor, report or meet other requirements for releasing hazardous pollutants.” In other words, these companies can dump whatever they want wherever they want, no matter how toxic, in whatever quantity and the government will look the other way. Profits are put first, while the energy companies rake in billions and fail to clean up even when court-ordered and fined for toxic sites within even their own refineries in Torrance and Wilmington. They never seem to pay the fines either. Environmentalists, of course, sounded the alarm. “No one has ever seen anything like this. This is a complete pass for every industry,” said Gina McCarthy, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The announcement is “an open license to pollute” she told the Los Angeles Times.
10
Former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler during his confirmation hearing to be deputy administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. File photo
The following is an excerpt from the EPA website about the affordable clean energy rule. I will leave you to read between the lines. “On June 19, 2019, EPA issued the final Affordable Clean Energy rule—replacing the prior administration’s overreaching Clean Power Plan with a rule that restores rule of law, empowers states and supports energy diversity.” In case you need help, “overreaching” means too many rules for cleaner air. “Rule of law” means whatever big polluting businesses and refineries can get away with by circumventing regulations and buying politicians (including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Eric Garcetti) and judges. “Energy diversity” is code for expanding fracking, offshore drilling, national forest and arctic oil drilling and mining and general expansion of highly profitable energy resources. Preferably it would be wind and solar power, but don’t hold your breath. How should we as working people, victims of corporate pollution and health care crises respond? First of all, we should realize that all lobbying and legislation mean nothing when the government, which is run by and for big business, wants to throw them out under
whatever phony excuse it can conjure up and make us believe. Health and safety of all workers and working people must be at the top of our list as shown by the nationwide protests of nurses, doctors, Amazon, airport and factory workers demanding better protective equipment than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say is necessary. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the CDC has prioritized maintaining profitability of businesses like the cruise lines, factories and gun shops. It is more concerned about the stock market and the economy than our health. Meanwhile, workers in other countries, especially Italy, have executed labor actions for safety equipment if they are to be forced to work. Workers at LAX have done the same. Articles in the New York Times and elsewhere have shown the corruption and ineptness of the CDC and Washington, D.C., under Democrats and Republicans, in failing to procure and store enough emergency equipment even after seeing the impact of the H1N1 and SARS epidemics. They paid companies and received zero. Labor, organized in our unions, needs to wage a fight to halt the destruction of the environment internationally, and to protect ourselves during this pandemic. We have the biggest stake in protecting the environment, as an integral part of defending our health, safety and working and living conditions. To the hundreds of environmental organizations out there, I say what are you doing? We can organize protests staying six feet apart as nurses, factory workers and others have done. We may have missed Earth Day for such public protest actions. But they are desperately needed. As long as businesses and the government are run for profit, they will try to get away with as much as they can in their profit quest. The following is a list of what we should demand: 1. Make corporations pay for their pollution. Give unions control of health and safety and give employers the bill. 2. Create jobs for all by shortening the work week to 30 hours but keeping the same pay, thus hiring enough workers to do jobs safely and cleanly. And give full pay to all laid off workers during current business shutdowns. 3. Import Interferon Alpha 2b, a Cuban medicine that reduces symptoms, duration and mortality of COVID-19. End the blockade of Cuba.
[News Briefs, from p. 7]
Newsom Attempts to Bridge Digital Divide SACRAMENTO — On April 20, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his partnership with the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Transportation Agency to ensure that the state’s households have what they need to homeschool their children. The CPUC will contribute $30 million for parents to have internet access and computing devices. The California Public Transportation Agency will also be working with the City of Sacramento by deploying buses converted to be used as internet hotspots. Newsom has also partnered with private companies such as T-Mobile, Amazon and Apple, which have committed to donate items such as tablets, Chromebooks and laptops to California school districts. Details: http://covid19.ca.gov/covid19. ca.gov/es Senators Demand COVID-19 Safety Measures for Immigrant Families WASHINGTON, D.C. — On April 20, Sen. Kamala Harris and other Democratic senators called for an expansion of COVID-19 safety measures to those living in the country undocumented and who lack English proficiency. These measures would include coronavirus testing, medical care and relief benefits. Harris, along with 76 members of Congress, wrote a letter to the congressional leadership explaining that many immigrants in this country are also making contributions during this time of crisis and highlighted those on the front lines of essential services such as health care, farm work and grocery stores. Details: https://tinyurl.com/ybblbu8y New Confirmed Cases Tests Positive for Coronavirus LOS ANGELES — As of April 27, the Los Angeles Police Department has a total of 81 employees who have tested positive for the Coronavirus. In addition, the Los Angeles Fire Department has a total of 22 members who have tested positive for the Coronavirus. Thirty-three LAPD employees have recovered and returned to full duty, one individual is hospitalized, and all other individuals are self-isolating at home and recovering. Fifteen LAFD employees have recovered and returned to duty, currently no members are hospitalized. The remaining seven employees are isolated and recovering at home. Tiana Murillo To Oversee Homeless Initiative During COVID-19 LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County has named Tiana Murillo, head of the Chief Executive Office’s Strategic Integration Branch, to oversee and coordinate multifaceted efforts underway to temporarily house people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis. CEO Sachi A. Hamai selected Murillo to coordinate and lead county departments and the Homeless Initiative and coordinate among partners including the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to put urgently-needed solutions into place in real time. Initiatives under her direct supervision include: Medical sheltering for people, including those experiencing homelessness, who have been exposed to the virus and need a place to self-isolate or quarantine. Project Roomkey, which makes it possible for vulnerable people in high-risk groups to come inside and be “Safer at Home” during the crisis.
Loving Hands for Fingerprints Music
Indie Band Donates COVID-Inspired Song to Help Record Store Through Crisis By Greggory Moore, Columnist
doing things day to day. It’s too hard to try to look further ahead than that, as great as it would be to have a solid plan. This is all question marks.” In the midst of searching for partial answers from a litany of possible loans and a new, full-service online store, Foster was buoyed by a touching gesture from De Lux, a DIY post-disco dance-punk five-piece that has played Fingerprints in support of each of its three albums. On April 1, De Lux released the COVID-19-inspired Dancing Is Dangerous in Los Angeles, with all proceeds earmarked to help Fingerprints weather the storm. “We love them,” Foster says. “They’re an incredible band both live and on record, but they’re really great dudes as well. It’s more than just, ‘We sell their records.’ … [So] I kind of teared up a little bit [when I heard about the song]. I feel like, in a lot of ways, when we do things that I’m proud of or excited about, there’s still a bit of selfishness in it for me [in that] we have bands in the store because I love them and I want them to continue making music — and the only way they can do that is if people hear them and buy their records…. In a weird way their being successful is kind of its own reward
[for Fingerprints]. So, when someone like them does something like this for us, it’s pretty awesome.” De Lux frontman Sean Guerin, who in early March wrote the song after a night of dancing with only 10 or so people in a club that normally would be crowded, credits band manager Scotty Coats (a Long Beach resident who first turned the band onto Fingerprints) and label Innovative Leisure for the genesis of the idea. “I sent [the song] over to Innovative Leisure to see if they wanted to release it,” Guerin said . “They mentioned trying to release it for charity. Scotty mentioned Fingerprints, and we all said, ‘Yup.’ It was a great idea because not only has Fingerprints been so supportive of us through the years, they deserve [help] to stay part of the Long Beach community. They’re a staple at this point…. If an outsider asks, ‘Hey, what’s a good record store around here?’ Fingerprints is the goto…. They are true music nerds and have a genuine love for helping artists and the community feel like all walks of creativity are welcome.”
x
Lu e D
W
hen Rand Foster opened unselfconsciously hip Fingerprints Music in 1993, Amazon was only a South American river, and the first digital download (Duran Duran’s Electric Barbarella, says Billboard) was still four years away. And streaming, what the hell was streaming? Since then, while brick-and-mortar mainstays like Virgin Megastores and Tower Records have gone to watery graves from the sea-change brought by Amazon, Walmart and the digital revolution, Fingerprints has managed to stay afloat, providing music-lovers with physical product and a broad array of in-store experiences. Foo Fighters, Sparklehorse, Jack Johnson and Yo La Tengo have graced the stage, while luminaries like Brian Wilson and Lou Reed have done in-store signings. The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne spent no less than 12 hours with fans — and enjoyed the experience enough to spend 45 minutes afterwards with staff. But navigating the squall of COVID-19, which has indefinitely closed Fingerprints along with all of California’s “non-essential” businesses, is a daunting, titanic mission. “It’s a whole lot of ‘I don’t know,’” Foster admits. “The big takeaway is that we’re just
[See Fingerprints, p. 14]
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
n
g D an e r o
April 30 - May 13, 2020
n ci n g i s a D
11
us
in Los A
S
La Siciliana Adds ‘Delicious’ to San Pedro
icily is blessed with the sun and the citrus, the sea and the sage common to the Mediterranean. San Pedro shares the blessings of the sun and sea, and now is complete with the cuisine of Sicily at home on 6th Street. La Siciliana is a tiny piece of Palermo transported to downtown San Pedro. Sicily is the hard baked stone being kicked by the boot of mainland Italy. It has been occupied and liberated and conquered and settled by many cultures over more than 4,000 years, and the music and cuisine reflect that. From every direction, the influence of Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the New World have all made a mark on Sicilian life and culture. The patina of centuries of living show on the ancient buildings and the worn cobblestones of downtown Palermo. Oranges and lemons grow everywhere, and street trees are often citrus, both for aroma and fruit. The idea is that no one will go hungry with fruit growing abundantly. Now is the time for new thinking, and La Siciliana will bring a new perspective on Italian food. Pasta is on the menu, and pizza and panini, but this is pasta and pizza and panini like you have never had before. La Siciliana is making authentic, homemade cuisine, speaking the dialect of Sicily, with fabulous handmade arancini (stuffed rice balls), eggplant caponata (like a Sicilian salsa or relish) and handmade cannoli and cassata cake. You may have had lasagne, even vegetable lasagne, but this is a revelation. Alfredo tagliatelle pasta is rich and flavorful, a wonderful execution of the classic Alfredo. Ravioli with spinach and Parmesan cheese with marinara or ragu is comforting and just what you want to eat on a weekday evening. Gnocchi is Sicilian-style potato-based pasta, handmade and served with ragu. Close your eyes as you eat
Tradition, variety and fast delivery or takeout—you get it all at Big Nick’s Pizza. The best selection of Italian specialties include hearty calzones, an array of pastas and our amazing selection of signature pizzas. Call for fast delivery. Hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Big Nicks’ Pizza, 1110 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 310-732-5800, www.bignickspizza. com
BUONO’S AUTHENTIC PIZZERIA
Family owned and operated since 1965, Buono’s is famous for exceptional awardwinning brick oven baked pizza. Buono’s also offers classic Italian dishes and sauces based on tried-and-true family recipes and handselected ingredients that are prepared fresh. Takeout and delivery at all three locations. Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Buono’s Pizzeria, 222 W. 6th St., San Pedro, 310547-0655, www.buonospizza.com
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
BIG NICK’S PIZZA
April 30 - May 13, 2020
CONRAD’S MEXICAN GRILL
12
Conrad’s menu reflects the cuisine of his native Oaxaca with a fresh focus on local, seasonal ingredients for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It features classic dishes from Oaxaca and regional Mexico, such as mole sauces, ceviche, empanadas and sopecitos. Conrad’s also features an inventive vegetarian and vegan menu. Order online for curbside
By Gretchen Williams, Dining and Cuisine Writer
this gnocchi- you could be in the Sicilian countryside. Pizza is splendid, hand made dough and that marvelous marinara, but smaller and square, made by your Sicilian nonna just for you. Margarita is the traditional favorite, and this margarita is phenomenal but the bianca with mozzarella cheese, anchovies, olives and cherry tomatoes is very Sicilian and delicious. Capricciosa is pizza with the works, marinara sauce, ham, artichoke, olives, mushrooms, peas and mozzarella for $6 — a good deal. Calzones are made with housemade dough packed with eggplant and basil (Parmigiana vegana) or cauliflower, potato and onion with basil and sun-dried tomato (sciurietto vegano) or hearty impanata, stuffed with beef, potatoes, peas, onions and mozzarella cheese. Satisfying and even great to order for lunch the next day. Panini are sandwiches with an education. The Sicilian version is top of the class. Ham and cheese sounds mild, but the Italian ham and mozzarella cheese with tomatoes is smooth and full of flavor, wonderful to eat outdoors with the children. The young ones will like the polpetta panini, a classic meatball sandwich with marinara sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Arancini are made elsewhere in Italy, but the smaller, more delicate arancini made at La Siciliana are a delight to behold and to eat. Rice balls are stuffed with a variety of fillings, from ragu to pesto to quattro formaggi (four cheeses), spinaci and prosciutto, La Vegana (tomato sauce, onions and peas) or Norma ( marinara sauce, eggplant, parmesan and béchamel sauce). All varieties are crunchy and fun to eat and are a special favorite of the short set. They’re $4.50 each, so you can easily try every variety. The side dishes on the menu are often overlooked. Do not make [See La Siciliana, p. 13]
An arancini from La Siciliana.
pick up and delivery. Open Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun. noon to 8 p.m. Conrad’s Mexican Grill, 376. W. 6th St., San Pedro • 424-264-5452, www.conradsmexicangrill. com
COMPAGNON WINE BISTRO
Compagnon Wine Bistro (formerly La Buvette Wine Bistro) offers rustic French cuisine that pays tribute to classic French bistros in various regions of France. Call in your dinner and family meal orders for curbside pick-up, Wed. - Sun. 4 to 7 p.m. Compagnon Wine Bistro, 335 W. 7th St., San Pedro, 424-342-9840, www.CompagnonBistro.com
p.m. Happy Diner #2, 1931 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 310-935-2933, www.happydinersp.com
HAPPY DELI
The Happy Deli is a small place with a big menu. Food is made-to-order using the freshest ingredients. Breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches include a small coffee. For lunch or dinner select from fresh salads, wraps, buffalo wings, cold and hot sandwiches, burgers and dogs. Delivery to your home or office available. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 am. to 8 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Deli, 530 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 424-364-0319, www.happydelisp.com
PAPPY’S SEAFOOD
The Happy Diner #1 in Downtown San Pedro isn’t your average diner. The selections range from Italian- and Mexican-influenced entrées to American Continental. Happy Diner chefs are always creating something new—take your pick of grilled salmon over pasta or tilapia and vegetables prepared any way you like. Call for takeout breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Diner #1, 617 S. Centre St., San Pedro, 310-241-0917, www. happydinersp.com
Pappy’s Seafood is your destination for fresh, sustainably caught seafood, locally sourced farm-to-table produce, craft beer, fine wines and cocktails. Now offering curbside pick-up or delivery via Grubhub and Seamless. Hours: Wed. and Thurs. 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun. 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Mon. and Tues. Pappy’s Seafood, 301 w. 6th St., San Pedro, 424-224-5444, www.pappysseafood.com
HAPPY DINER #2
SAN PEDRO BREWING COMPANY
HAPPY DINER #1
Built on the success of Happy Diner #1, Happy Diner #2 offers American favorites like omelets and burgers, fresh salads, plus pasta and Mexican dishes are served. Call in your order for curbside pickup. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4
A micro brewery and American grill, SPBC features handcrafted awardwinning ales and lagers served with creative pastas, BBQ, sandwiches, salads and burgers.
Order your growlers, house drafts and cocktails to go (with food purchase)! Open daily 12 to 8 p.m. for takeout and delivery through Grubhub, Postmates and Doordash. San Pedro Brewing Company, 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro, 310-831-5663, www. sanpedrobrewing.com
TAXCO MEXICAN RESTAURANT
We are proud to serve our community for almost four decades with generous plates of traditional Mexican Call in your order for pickup or order online for delivery at Doordash. com Open for orders 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Taxco Mexican Restaurant, 28152 S. Western Ave., San Pedro, 310-547-4554, www.taxcorestaurantpv.com
THE WHALE & ALE ENGLISH RESTAURANT & PUB
We’re open for Dinners To Go from 5 p.m. daily. Order your favourite select pub entreés, such as fish or shrimp & chips, shepherd’s pie, bangers & mash, salads plus pints to go for pick up and delivery with your purchase of food. Call in your order or order online at Postmates. We thank you for your loyalty and support, Andrew Silber proprietor. The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro, 310-832-0363, www.whaleandale.com
Support Independent Restaurants • Dining Guide online: www.randomlengthsnews.com/dining-guide
Bird Talk Chicken is All the Chatter New to Western and Crestwood, this is not
Chicken Little. Bird Talk puts the Colonel to shame. State of the art fried chicken is flying out the door. Bird Talk is chicken central, with a focus on the juicy and crispy. The menu has a terrific chicken sandwich, way ahead of any chain offering. Crunchy fried chicken breast with buttermilk ranch mayo, cole slaw and kosher pickles, with a side of waffle fries is a lunch of champions.
The Spicy with loaded tots at Bird Talk Chicken.
[La Siciliana, from p. 12]
La Siciliana
“The theme of farmworker is quite relevant for many Latinos and Latin American artists, something really meaningful. Not only as artistic inspiration but also as a political and social flag.” — Gabriela Urtiaga This past March, Gabriela Urtiaga, the chief curator for the Museum of Latin American Art, highlighted the “essential worker”— a term that’s been brought to the forefront by local and state leaders since stay-at-home policies were instituted in an attempt to arrest the spread of the coronavirus — in a series of Facebook posts in honor of labor organizer and civil rights activist, Cesar Chavez. The Facebook series featured images of the works of several artists depicting who, in this current context, we would call essential workers — people who are growing, picking, packaging and transporting our food. The first work Urtiaga featured in the series was Javier y el Jardín, by the late San Pedro artist, Richard Lopez, [1943- 2013]. He earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from California State University Long Beach, and became a professor of drawing and painting from 1974 to 2005. Lopez’s Javier y el Jardín, an acrylic painting on canvas in MOLAAs permanent collection, depicts Javier, a farmworker. He wears a hat and work clothes. Amid a verdant field, he looks over crops with a tool in hand. Beside him, bounteous stalks of sunflowers spring upwards with life. The piece portrays with lush abundance a day in the life of a farmworker. Urtiaga noted it’s a poetic painting — powerful and evocative with an interesting use of the color palette, with bright and strong tones. It’s an expressive piece with beautiful details. “This painting is really particular because the artist imagines and visualizes a farmworker in his own environment, around nature, where he works hard every day, in a strong connection with the landscape,” Urtiaga said. “The farmworker maybe is having his break after a hard day of work, maybe thinking about someone or something in a melancholy way. It is a very bucolic scene.”
Solimar Salas, the museum’s vice president of content and programming and Alexa OrtegaMendoza, marketing and communications manager, spoke on the challenges of keeping the museum relevant and engaging the culture at large while we stay at home. “How do you define what is an essential worker and who?” Salas asked. “Institutions have had to make really hard decisions. It’s a
tough call because everyone is essential.” As residents have adapted to life under safer-at-home measures, local governments have had to strike a balance between restricting the movement of workers to halt the spread of the coronavirus but not so much to cause long-term harm to the economy. On March 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued [See Essential, p. 14]
Order take-out or delivery!
We thank all our patrons for 36 years of support as we move back to Garden Village in San Pedro, where Tony got his start at La Chispa (310) 547-4554 28152 S. Western Ave. San Pedro Ask about Catering for All Occasions
@Taxco SanPedro
@Taxco Fine Mexican Restaurants
April 30 - May 13, 2020
that mistake here. Grilled vegetables are lovely, and taste of the summer to come. Caponata is a Sicilian tradition, made of eggplant and other vegetables, with capers and raisins preserved in a sweet and sour sauce, meant to be served with meals as an accent, like a relish or salsa. Both are great to have in the refrigerator to round out future meals or put on sandwiches. Sicily is known for its spectacular desserts and La Siciliana takes the cake for superior sweets. Cannoli are not unusual in San Pedro, but cannoli at La Siciliana rival the best of Palermo. Crispy, not too sweet, spiced delicately with preserved orange and tiny chocolate kisses, these cannoli are heavenly. If cassata Siciliana is available, do not miss it. This cake is the pride of Sicily, stacked with ricotta and cream, spiced and decorated with chocolate and fruit. La Siciliana is a delicious addition to the San Pedro restaurant scene, but like all restaurants these days, it’s offering its menu for takeout only. Please call to order from the regular menu and ask about specials. La Siciliana, 347 W. 6th St., San Pedro Details: 424-570-0101
By Melina Paris, Arts and Culture Reporter
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
The heat amps up with every move up the menu, with the Original at neutral, the Spicy with Cajun fried chicken breast with ghost pepper aioli, to the Nashville fried chicken breast, dipped and rubbed in Nashville-blended spices and oils. Honey Butter is fried chicken breast dipped in signature Bird Talk honey butter, just the thing for chicken and waffles. Grilled bird with avocado, lettuce, tomato, applewood smoked bacon and mayo is a delicious take on the BLTA. Wings are another specialty, with a variety of flavors and seasonings. A six piece combo with one side is a great deal for $10.99. Bird Talk Chicken, 29505 S.Western Ave., #103, Rancho Palos Verdes Details: 310-935-7759 —Gretchen Williams
Javier y el Jardín, Considering the Essential Worker
13
[Essential, from p. 13]
Essential
medical examiners or coroners. The industries they support have grown too — not to mention the society they carry. In our complex, modernday system with millions more workers, still, how do we as a society take care of our essential working people? Now, essential workers do much more than attempt to control the plague, though many of these jobs are still arduous and receive low pay. With farmworkers tied crucially to food security
April 30 - May 13, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
an executive order that established the nation’s first statewide shelter-in-place. Days later, the Department of Homeland Security created an advisory list of industries and workers “essential” to fighting the pandemic. It includes 14 employment categories that DHS identifies as essential critical infrastructure workers. From there each municipality identifies its essential services. Of these, farmworkers play a vital role in the lives of Americans. In the context of pandemics, who we consider “essential workers” hasn’t changed much in recent centuries. During the 17th century Great Plague of London, essential workers were often poor and female but weren’t quarantined because their labor was essential. Guards enforcing the quarantine, nurses treating patients at the “pest Javier y el Jardín, 1998 by Richard A. Lopez. Acrylic on canvas. 36 x 48 house,” the “searchers of the inches. MoLAA permanent collection. dead” comprised mostly of impoverished older women hired by London and access, it’s taken a pandemic to stress how parishes and grave diggers for the mounting acutely we are affected by the short food chain number of deceased were all called essential link. It has just started to be recognized through workers. Newsom’s executive order, which supports Since that time, what defines an essential California food industry workers — including worker has grown exponentially. The difference farmworkers — with two weeks of paid sick between then and today is that some of these leave. It’s just a start. jobs pay more and hold more prestige, like The team at MoLAA continues to observe
14
and absorb the manifestations of the pandemic upon the culture at large. “The process for the team [that week] was Cesar Chavez Day,” Ortega-Mendoza said. “Exploring what artworks we had, highlighting him and also highlighting artworks others submitted to #MOLAAConnects, [on MoLAAs Facebook page] including a mix of what we have in our collection.” “MoLAA will also show the first retrospective about Judy Baca next year,” Urtiaga said. “A unique Chicana artist well known for her very famous mural in honor of Chavez.” As the meaning of essential worker evolves,
Urtiaga noted times are changing very fast and the meaning of certain things are changing as well. “In these tough times, where we have to deal with an unpredicted crisis followed by uncertain consequences, it is absolutely crucial the role of the essential worker in our society,” she said. “I hope this crisis teaches us to be more wise and careful about that. This is why art is so necessary…. Because art and the artists’ are powerful tools to make a change, to build bridges and engage people with new ideas, knowledge and beauty.” Details: www.facebook.com/MuseumofLatin AmericanArt, www.molaa.org
[Fingerprints, from p. 11]
For the Love of Fingerprints
Innovative Leisure co-owner Jamie Strong couldn’t agree more. “The first place I ever lived in California was Long Beach, and at the time, I didn’t know anyone or anything about Long Beach (outside of Snoop and Sublime) — so Fingerprints quickly became a home for me,” Strong said, “It was my weekly escape and opportunity to find out what was going on in the music scene in SoCal. There was always such a sense of family and Issac Franko and Sean Guerin of De Lux released a song to bencommunity in the shop with the staff, efit Fingerprints Music of Long Beach. File photo which I found quite comforting. “After this all blows over and we have [That is] a testament to Rand.” our fourth record ready, we would love to do True to De Lux form, Dancing Is Dangerous another in-store,” Guerin said. in Los Angeles is an upbeat romp, an echoic For that to happen, Fingerprints will need production providing the dark subtext of an eerily to help through these uncharted, treacherous empty, pandemic-era dance club. Guerin’s lyrics, too, hint at apocalypse but lean to the lighter side. waters — a journey Foster says is all the more difficult due to nearby construction projects that “And now dancing is dangerous and you’ve cost Fingerprints around 20 percent of its annual got nowhere to go,” he sings in the opening lines. “And if you’re missing Los Angeles, well, revenue over the last two years. But De Lux and Innovative Leisure are not the only ones who now you’re really back home.” have stepped up. A later line pokes fun at the recent panic“The support we’ve gotten from our buying: “Line up for guns, line up for paper / customers — the number of people who’ve said, Both things won’t protect your ass.” ‘Can I get a gift certificate?’ [and] ‘How do I Guerin said he had no qualms about buy online?’ — has been great,” Foster said. injecting a sense of fun into his crisis “Former employees have been buying from us, commentary. along with the community of customers over “A serious situation shouldn’t necessarily dictate your creativity,” Guerin said. “One thing all the years. And there’s definitely been some outreach from the artist community and from I was trying not to do was make it cheesy. I the artist-management community. A lot of didn’t want to say ‘COVID-19,’ ‘coronavirus,’ ‘social distancing,’ etc. Little too on the nose for people have really rallied around us. Now, we’re just kind of waiting to see what kind of support me, I guess. I come from the perspective as if we get from the community of bankers and loan someone may listen to this song in 40 years and people and grant people and our landlord.” wonder, ‘Why was it dangerous?’ Maybe they As a board member of the Coalition of have to do some digging. [The indirectness] Independent Music Stores (the folks behind gives a bit of mystery to it.” Record Store Day with fingers crossed), Foster Foster appreciates the irony of De Lux’s says “everything I’m trying to figure out for situation. myself I’m also trying to help the board try “Here they are making dance music in a time when people can’t get together and dance,” to come up with some strategies and ideas to keep our businesses going.” For example, he said. Fingerprints has begun an ongoing series of Naturally, Guerin has concerns about how COVID-19 will affect both De Lux — a band to Instagram sales. “We’ve only done a couple so far, but they whom live shows are particularly important — seem to be going pretty well,” Foster said. “It’s and the indie music scene in general. a whole lot of slap-and-patch.” “Already we’re seeing artists get albums Like dancing, owning a record store is delayed, and obviously no tours are happening,” dangerous these days. But what better means he said. “In terms of the live show, even when to soothe your troubled soul than new music? things start to calm down and people get back to And by engaging in this particular form of selfwork, It’s going to be a bit more tough for indie care, you just might be part of ensuring that one acts to pull crowds. There’s going to be people of your favorite community spots is there for who are still reluctant to go out. But it also you when we come out the other side of this depends on if we have a vaccine by that time or uncertain, unprecedented time. how declined we are in terms of cases. It’s all a So download De Lux’s Dancing Is bit up in the air.” Dangerous in Los Angeles and shop Fingerprints Music online. For all things De Lux, follow Nonetheless, De Lux hopes to be back at them on Instagram @deluxband. Fingerprints in the not-too-distant future.
Studio Gallery 345
Michael Stearns Studio@The Loft
Cornelius Projects
THE ART OF AICHER
Pat Woolley, Tetons
In an abundance of caution, Studio 345, which shows the works of Pat Woolley and Gloria D. Lee will be closed for First Thursday, April 2. 345 W. 7th St., San Pedro. Details: 310-545-0832 or 310-374-8055; artsail@roadrunner.com or www.patwoolleyart.com. Take a virtual tour of Pat Woolley’s work at www.randomlengthsnews. com/art/first-thursday
Michael Stearns, DaVinci and the Wheel of Fortune, acrylic on canvas.
Due to the threat of coronavirus Michael Stearns Studio will be dark for a few weeks. The gallery has temporarily suspended its exhibition schedule and will be closed for the First Thursday May 7. The first consideration is for your health and safety and the health of the community. The studio will be open by appointment only during this time. Contact: michaelstearnsstudio@gmail.com or 562.400.0544. Michael Stearns Studio@The Loft, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro.
Ko-Ryu Ramen 362 W. 6th St. San Pedro 90731 310-935-2886
Take a virtual tour of Michael Stearns work at www.randomlengthsnews. com/art/first-thursday
A gentle giant of a man, Scott Aicher is a much-loved member of San Pedro’s alternative community. His aesthetic has been shaped by Pedro’s punk scene, underground comics, psychedelic art, and skate and custom car culture, and he devotes his talents to celebrating the things he loves. Prepare to have your eyes pop! View the gallery at corneliusprojects. com. Cornelius Projects, 1417 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro. Details: 310-266-9216 Take a virtual tour of Scott Aicher’s work installed at Cornelius Projects at www.randomlengthsnews.com/art/first-thursday
koryuramen.com Koi Ramen
April 30 - May 13, 2020
Restaurants that advertise for the First Thursday Art Walk will be open for take-out and delivery only until further notice. See our online Dining Guide at RandomLengthsNews.com/ dining-guide
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
To RLn’s Dining Community:
15
[Institution, from p. 1]
America’s Oldest Institution Threatened
“You couldn’t get any more frontline than postal work, other than being in the healthcare profession.”
April 30 - May 13, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
—Omar Gonzalez, APWU Regional Coordinator
16
“The GOP controlled Congress required that the Postal Service divert its revenues to pre-fund their pension fund for 75 years in advance. That was like a knife into their heart.” — Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach)
on the insistence of Donald Trump, with no notable Republican dissent. “Our Republican colleagues need to push back,” she said. “It’s not about a partisan issue.” “It is insane that the Republican Party would be the obstacle in saving the Postal Service, when the reddest of the reddest areas of this country are the ones that are most reliant on the Postal Service,” said Sarah Anderson, lead co-author of the IPS report. T r u m p ’ s opposition is rooted in his vindictive hatred of the Washington Post, whose owner, Jeff Bezos, also owns Amazon. Blinded by hatred, Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed that the U.S. Postal Service loses money on every Amazon package it delivers. In fact, package delivery is a major profit center. The resulting freeze out contrasts sharply with the aid offered to large private businesses that aren’t performing essential services. “If you can bail out the airlines, the cruise ships, you can certainly help the Postal Service,” APWU Regional Coordinator Omar Gonzalez told Random Lengths. “Make it fair, be fair for everybody. “ But fairness seems to be in very short supply. “We wanted to make sure that we were included in some of the things that were appropriated or granted to other companies,” he said. But they’ve repeatedly been left out of consideration. “We were looking for some funding for the Postal Service in order to just back up the public service angle of it,” Gonzalez said. “We are delivering all different types of mail — delivering medicine, results of tests, health information, you name it, we deliver it.” Then there’s the Families First Act, providing extra leave for employees who are sick or seeking medical attention. “The companies that get them are actually being reimbursed by the government and the Postal Service was left out of that,” Gonzalez noted. “We have to pay that out of our Post Services coffers.” Looking forward, “We want to make sure that we are also included in any type of legislation that authorizes or plans hazard pay,” he said. “You couldn’t get any more frontline than postal work, other than being in the healthcare profession.” Carriers are out in the streets, but
counter work is more dangerous. “We have people coming in who appear sick and we still gotta provide service.” “One way that FedEx and UPS could get more generous support through the stimulus bill, the CARES Act is that they would qualify for the special aid going to the airline bailout, because they have cargo carrier divisions,” Anderson told Random Lengths. That “includes $4 billion in loans and $4 billion in cash assistance for payroll to keep employees working” in shipping, about half of which would go to FedEx and UPS. So, “they’re being offered cash assistance, whereas all the USPS got in the deal was the offer of up to $10 billion in loans that’s subject to draconian conditions by Treasury Secretary [Steven] Mnuchin,” she said. “So, it’s unclear if they will access any of that 10 billion.” Congressman Alan Lowenthal focused sharply on those conditions when he spoke to Random Lengths, pointing to a just-published Washington Post story about Trump’s Treasury department “leveraging” the loan “to force Postal Service changes.” “The administration really doesn’t want a bailout,” Lowenthal said. “The administration would like to manage it, cut its finances, cut staff,” and crucial mail processing operations. “It’s just a way to eliminate the Postal Service,” he concluded.
A Post Office Burden
The backstory starts in 2006 with the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. “It was in the lameduck session before the Democrats took control,” Lowenthal said. “The GOP controlled Congress required that the Postal Service divert its revenues to pre-fund their pension fund for 75 years in advance. That was like a knife into their heart. That started it, to demonstrate that they were not going to be financially viable, to move the Republican attempts to privatize it.” “Nobody else has this kind of burden,” Anderson said. “It’s covering retirees who are not even born yet.” “It’s outrageous that we are requiring them to do that,” Barragán stated. That burden has had a significant impact, driving many of the problems described in our cover story, “Why Your Mail is Late.” But the IPS reports make two particularly important points. First, that the Postal Service remains fiscally much stronger than it seems. Without the unprecedented prefunding requirement, it would have run a profit every year from 2013 to 2018. It has also fulfilled a much larger share of post-retirement benefits and pension obligations than other federal agencies or industry competitors. And it also stacks up best when compared to the top 10 largest U.S. corporations-
-companies like Apple, Amazon, AT&T, Walmart, ExxonMobile, GM and Berkshire Hathaway. The false impression of a failing agency is extremely useful, the report notes: By forcing the USPS to accumulate such massive reserves, the pre-funding mandate has in a sense “fattened the hog for slaughter.” For privatizers interested in acquiring only the most profitable postal assets, these reserves make the service even more attractive as the extraordinary retirement health care funding mandate has left the post office with post-retirement reserves (healthcare benefits and the already well-funded pensions – see below) that far exceed those of other large public corporations.
Thus, the eagerness of the privatizers should be seen as just one more indication of the soundness of the U.S. Postal Service, despite the erosion it has suffered. The report’s second important point is there’s a relatively straightforward path toward setting things right. First, and most significant is to repeal the pre-funding mandate and allow the existing reserves to fund future costs on a pay-as-you-go basis. The House of Representatives has already acted to do this, passing the “USPS Fairness Act” on February 6 by a lopsided 309 - 106 vote, including 87 Republicans (vs 105 opposed.) “It was really encouraging to see a large number of Republicans who stood up for the post office on that,” Anderson said. “It bodes well for getting Republicans to support the bailout.” It then went to the Senate, where Montana Republican Steve Daines is a co-author, but the covid-19 outbreak disrupted further action. Another simple step would be allowing its retirement funds to be invested more profitably, including stock index funds, rather than being limited to low-interest Treasury bills. The formula for determining pension obligations should also be switched from being based on projected costs to being based on those legally incurred, which “would reduce USPS’s accumulated retiree health fund deficit by $41 billion.” But that’s not the whole story, Anderson explained. Before the pandemic erupted, IPS was working on a paper about how the Postal Service could meet a broader range of needs, such as postal banking, and health and environmental monitoring — as has been explored by other countries. In fact, postal banking also existed here in the U.S. from 1911 to 1966, while informal health monitoring already occurs. “Everyone knows that postal workers are the eyes on the neighborhood, and they notice things,
they have saved a lot of lives by noticing people who are not picking up the mail and things like that,” she said. A more formalized system could help reduce the cost of baby boom retirement by following the example of other countries that “have found it’s really helpful to have their post workers be part of the care economy by allowing people to stay at home and reducing the worry of their family members that there’s someone checking in every day.” Environmental monitoring could “monitor everything from potholes to carbon emissions,” she said. But there’s another huge environmental benefit the Postal Service could deliver: electrifying its fleet of over 200,000 vehicles could have a massive impact in speeding reductions of fossil fuel emissions. The vast majority are carriers, whose limited range and stop-and-go operations are perfectly matched to electric vehicles’ strength. In fact, author and radio host Thom Hartmann told Random Lengths that the threat of doing this was the reason behind the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. In February 2006, the U.S. Postal Service held a press conference in San Diego. “They showed off a fuel-cell and a 10 ton electric truck, and talked about how they had the largest fleet of vehicles in the United States and they were going to turn the entire fleet over the course of the next few years from gasoline and diesel into electric and hydrogen, and they were going to go green. It was probable at that time,” Hartmann recalled. “In fact, I had somebody from the post office on my show about that issue.” The announcement “got a fair amount of publicity,” Hartmann said, but then, “Surprise, surprise, a few months later the Republicans rolled out this thing where there’s going to be a crisis in 75 years in the post office, because they going to have people retiring in 75 years who will not have access to health care.”
Alternate Future Coinciding
IPS has a different explanation, based on budget manipulations, but both can be true simultaneously. And fleet conversion was a lively topic at the time—it was part of the discussion shaping the ports’ Clean Truck Plan, for example. The U.S. Postal Service did continue to dabble with demonstration projects, but with its massive new pension obligations investing in a whole new fleet—no matter how cost-effective in the long run—was obviously off the table. But it need not be now. It all depends on the path we choose to take. Hartmann is pessimistic in the short-term. “I think we are going to slide into a depression. I think it’s in the last several years,” he said. But beyond that, he says, “We have to remember that in the 1930s, the Great Depression hit the United States and Germany equally hard, and Germany [See Threatened, p. 17]
[Mail, from p. 1]
Why is Your Mail Late? after 5 p.m. Late-night deliveries have increased safety concerns, mail recipients are concerned about theft. Some residents have taken security measures to ensure their mail is safe. Latenight deliveries are becoming more common across the nation. Washington D.C., Atlanta and Miami have been reported to have high instances of after dark mail deliveries. However, these deliveries are also hazardous to mail carriers. In 2013, a mail carrier in Maryland was shot while delivering mail after dark. The distribution of mail across Los Angeles has also faced issues of efficiency. With fewer staff, the USPS has caused delays, and service declines. These issues, however, are nothing new. In 2005, an audit of the timeliness of mail processing in Los Angeles reflected that mail was not delivered in a timely fashion causing delays and service declines. As a result, mail has been delivered less frequently. It has also been reported that mail is frequently delivered to the wrong address. Sporadic mail deliveries and deliveries to the wrong address have contributed to missed bill payments and neglected jury summons which [Threatened, from p. 16]
Threatened
“
We had to cut back on so many people. We had consolidated routes and made them so long. With automation, more mail is going through the system … That’s the problem, they are cutting back and stressing people out. There is so much stress just to deliver the mail. Is it worth it?”
— Long time postal worker, Angela
April 30 - May 13, 2020
have resulted in penalties for residences. A decision was made by the postal service’s upper management a few years ago to no longer locally process and deliver postal mail to and from local zip codes. This came on the heels of upper management cutting the staff by half at the Beacon street post office. Needless to say, both of these policies have slowed deliveries here and elsewhere in Southern California. In the decades before the USPS tried to modernize and automate the mail delivery all of the mail generated from say San Pedro 90731 or 90732 would be sorted internally and only the mail to other areas was trucked out to a central sorting facility. Now everything is shipped to one central location and then sent back to the local post offices for delivery. In 2017, we were told that the San Pedro Business Mail Entry unit for sending out commercial bulk mail was going to be consolidated with the Torrance Business Mail Entry unit. Today, that move has largely come into fruition but only by attrition of the local staff and the inability to hire and train more workers. We spoke with Angela, a long time postal worker in the Los Angeles Harbor Area to get a better understanding of how broad overall changes have impacted labor and delivery at the local level. She requested we maintain her anonymity out of fear of repercussions. She started as a mail carrier after working in an office for a number of years. “They put so much pressure on us,” Angela said. “They don’t give you a whole lot of time. They only give us so many seconds to put the mail in the box and go.” Angela noted that with the volume of mail and pressure that’s put on them they are unable to take their breaks. “If you’re going to make your time, you will have to keep food with you and have something
to wipe your hands,” she said. “You literally have to have food that would allow you to grab it and go.” Angela noted that a lot of people can’t keep that pace. “When I first started I was a mail carrier,” Angela said. “I came from an office job where I was in accounting. When I was a mail carrier I talked to other girls and found myself a support group. Support groups were formed for those who make it through probation after they are brought on on a trial basis. But it’s even more stressful now.” The post office used to promote people from the bottom, but now people with only a few years experience working there are being promoted to management positions, Angela explained. “We used to have supervisors that cared for you,” she said. “If you make a mistake they come out and talk to you. These days the supervisors are just trying to keep their jobs and make themselves look good.” Angela noted that the average postal worker will never make the kind of money past postal workers have made. While workers do still get benefits, the compensation will never be like the old times. The workers who were hired through the civil service and covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System made far more. “We have to pay for our own health coverage,” Angela said. Angela recounted how the San Pedro postal system underwent a transformation when a large number of veteran postal workers retired, and
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
had Adolf Hitler, and the United States had Franklin Roosevelt. In the end we actually had two very different outcomes from that Great Depression.” So, the fight to save the U.S. Postal Service right now is not only important in itself. It can help set the tone for generations to come — if people wake up to what’s going on. “Ultimately, what the current crisis will do is make people think about really, what would it be like if we didn’t have a public service? What if the Postal Service shuts down in a matter of months?” Anderson said. “What would it do to the small businesses across the country? To people who rely on them for their medication? And just on and on and on.” Rural communities would be especially hard hit, of course. “I don’t think people have really grappled with that. They’ve sort of kicked the can down the road,” she said. “What’s most upsetting to me, I think, is that the focus has been so much on how do they cut their way out of their financial challenges instead of building on the Postal Service’s rich history of innovation and responding to changes and doing in a way that can also in help their financial situation, like expanding financial services, or providing other things.” “It’s a battle,” Lowenthal said. “It’s part of a war. We gotta get the Postal Service through this next year, and we’ve got to take back the Senate and the presidency.” Survival is the issue of the moment. But the positive possibilities are also in the air. Shortly before we spoke, Barragán had published an op-ed in The Hill, “The next stimulus bill will help save our economy — it should transform it, too,” arguing for a green stimulus. “When talking about investing in a green economy, it’s things like this [converting the U.S. Postal Service fleet] that we should be investing in,” she said. “The U.S. Postal Service has been asking for assistance so they could upgrade their fleet and so there’s no better time than now.”
Mail carriers loading up their trucks before hitting the streets. Photo by Terelle Jerricks
rather than refilling those positions, management allowed the workload to fall on the shoulders of remaining employees. Angela recounted how only a few people have been cross-trained on a number of post office functions including finance, bulk mail, window service and management of the P.O. boxes. She noted that frequently the supervisors would have limited training on a variety of post office functions and would be of little help outside of pushing workers to work faster. Angela felt management was setting up workers to fail in an effort to cover their own tail. “We had to cut back on so many people,” Angela said. “We had consolidated routes and made them so long. With automation, more mail is going through the system.” Management would argue that there is no excuse for mail carriers spending so much time at the office and that they should be out in the streets delivering mail. But management underestimates just how much mail and packages were being delivered. “We get trucks and trucks of Amazon packages every day,” Angela said. “Carriers have to make it back by 4 p.m. to pick up Amazon packages for delivery.” Management doesn’t consider drive time or the size of packages, which impact the number of packages a carrier can carry. All of that increases the time spent delivering mail. The obvious solution is to hire more mail carriers but hiring more people is anathema to management. “That’s the problem, they are cutting back and stressing people out,” Angela said. “There is so much stress just to deliver the mail. Is it worth it?” The end result of delivering such a high volume of mail is mail carriers delivering mail well into the night. Angela recalled one supervisor was told to stay until all the mail carriers returned. The supervisor replied that she had a teenager and needed to be at home in the evenings. If they rotated the responsibility around it would have been better. But they didn’t want to rotate around. Management has tried to get the trucks out earlier, but they still come back late due to the volume of parcels. And when they return at 4 p.m., they still have to pick up the priority packages. They could hire more people, but they don’t want to. Or they could let workers come in on their off days, but they don’t want to pay them overtime. Sometimes, people don’t want to do overtime because management is so hostile. Most people won’t come in on their off day if they don’t have to. But the new people, they have to. If they aren’t delivering mail, they are coming inside to throw parcels into the trucks.
17
“Freeducation”— a freestyle puzzle for now.
CLASSIFIED ADS Computer Systems & Data Analyst Use stats to analyze data using Excel, CSV, MYSQL, Alteryx, Visual Basic & prepare rpts for execs to make decisions using Tableau, Alteryx, Advance Excel, SSRS. Dev tools to automate tasks using Alteryx, Microsoft Visual Basics Scripting, adv Math & Excel formula & MS Office Add-In enabling live data connection. Lead Duty Drawback Program to dev. a process of collecting import/export data. Work with cross-functional & Mgmt to prioritize reqmts using JIRA in the Agile system. MS in CS/IS or related. FT. Resume to: HR Job #09 CABI,LLC, 21750 Arnold Center Rd, Carson, CA 90810
JOBS
RLN SEEKING SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR Responsibilities include: • Advertising sales— print and digital • Developing and maintaining social media Requirements: • 2-plus years of advertising or marketing experience • Reliable transportation Send resumé to james@randomlengthsnews.com or drop by the office at 1300 S. Pacific Ave. in San Pedro.
FINANCIAL
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Struggling With Your Private Student Loan Payment? New relief programs can reduce your payments. Learn your options. Good credit not necessary. Call the Helpline 888670-5631 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Eastern) (AAN CAN)
SAVE BIG on HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 A-rated insurances companies. Get a quote within minutes. Average savings of $444/year! Call 844-712-6153! (M-F 8am-8pm Central) (AAN CAN)
AUTOS WANTED CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-535-9689 (AAN CAN)
HOME SERVICES Looking for self storage units? We have them! Self Storage offers clean and affordable storage to fit any need. Reserve today! 1-855-617-0876
HEALTH
COMPUTER ISSUES? GEEKS ON SITE provides FREE diagnosis REMOTELY 24/7 SERVICE DURING COVID19. No home visit necessary. $40 OFF with coupon 86407! Restrictions apply. 866-939-0093 DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. 1-855-3802501. (AAN CAN) Need a roommate? Roommates.com will help you find your Perfect Match™ today! (AAN CAN)
BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work… You reap the Rewards! Call for a FREE Author’s Submission Kit: 844-511-1836.
One-Stop-Shop For All Your Catheter Needs. We Accept Medicaid, Medicare, & Insurance. Try Before You Buy. Quick and Easy. Give Us A Call 866-282-2506 (AAN CAN)
Get Rid of your timeshare today! Safely, ethically and legal. Don’t delay call today. 1-844-757-4717 (AAN CAN)
VIOLIN LESSONS Study with a violinist who studied with the masters: Zino Francescatti, Ivan Galamian and Christian Ferras. Results guaranteed for TV and film bound students. Call 310-548-1659. www.JimSitterly.com.
Bulletin Board
Serving the South Bay
DIVORCE • TRUST BANKRUPTCY $99 Down•Low Cost Attorney Assisted Law
(310) 781-2823
Worry-Free Tax & Accounting Service • Payroll • Income Tax • Notary Service
Save time. Save money. Save stress. Just Relax Tax Service
Don Marshall CPA, Inc. (310) 833-8977
Don Marshall, MBA, CPA
Specializing in small businesses CPA quality service at very reasonable rates April 30 - May 13, 2020
Work with kindred spirits who are dedicated to guiding you to higher awareness, passion + purpose. Get UNstuck with certified Conscious Coaches - www.mysoulrenity.com (202) 643-6396 (AAN CAN)
LIVE PAIN FREE with CBD products from AceWellness. We guarantee highest quality, most competitive pricing on CBD products. Softgels, Oils, Skincare, Vape & more. Coupon Code: PRINT20
870 W. 9th St., Ste. 100A, San Pedro Call for appt. today 310.221.0034 • www.justrelaxtax.com
18
MISC.
www.donmarshallcpa.com
PLEASE HELP! The animals at the Harbor Animal Shelter have ongoing need for used blankets, comforters, pet beds.* Drop off at Harbor Animal Shelter 957 N. Gaffey St.,San Pedro • 888-452-7381, x 143 PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET! *In any condition. We will wash and mend.
(AAN CAN)
PERSONALS Well-to-do lady seeks a good man age 62 to 80 to travel and have a good life with. I’ll pay my own expenses, you pay yours. (310) 684-1448.
REAL ESTATE SERVICES REAL ESTATE INVESTOR seeks to purchase commercial or multi-unit residential properties in San Pedro. No Agents please. 310-241-6827
PETS PEDRO PET PALS is the only group that raises funds for the City Animal Shelter and FREE vaccines and spay or neuter for our community. (310) 991-0012
DBA
Filing & Publishing
$
140
310-519-1442
Remember to renew your DBA every five years
DBA FILINGS Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020046144
The following person is doing business as: (1) Compagnon Wine Bistro, 335 West 7th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Compagnon Wine Bistro LLC/AI#201807210596, 335 West 7th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by a Limited Liability Company. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 03/2018. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Thomas Gregory Compagnon, Managing Member. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on 02/25/20. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire
40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 03/19/20, 04/02/20, 04/16/20, 04/30/20
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020065867 The following person is doing business as: (1) Defining Moments Video, (2) Beach Villa Organic Dry Cleaner, Inc., 1110 W 9th Street, San Pedro CA 90731. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Mark J Doddy, 1110 W 9th Street, San Pedro CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that
ACROSS
1 Rotary phone parts 8 Whip holders? 15 Hoppy “New England-style” brew 16 System that includes emoji 17 Invited up 18 Compliment after getting out of bed? 19 ___ Bhabie (rapper first known as the “Cash Me Outside” girl from “Dr. Phil”) 20 Precipice 22 Indian curry dish 23 ___ Dems (U.K. political party, informally) 24 Fictional Marner 26 Achievement 27 Neighbor of British Columbia 30 Like birthday celebrants 32 Letters in some Baptist church names 33 Most sound 35 They may have chains and locks 37 Pic off a monitor? 39 1960s TV spy thriller with a 1997 movie remake 42 Site for ants or bumps? 46 Slick stuff 47 Dreadlocked one, maybe 49 Like some fast-food chicken
all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Mark J Doddy, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on March 20, 2018. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920, were it to expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 04/02/2020, 04/16/2020, 04/30/2020, 05/14/2020
[continued on p. 19]
sandwiches 50 Returning grad 52 Flashlight battery 54 Alternate spelling abbr. 55 Anwar who shared a Nobel Peace Prize 57 Deep-sea killer 58 Sister of Poseidon 59 Secure firmly 61 Dazed 63 Not consistent 64 The “devil’s interval” in music (heard in “The Simpsons” theme) 65 Took once more, like a white elephant gift 66 Pieces of Sanskrit religious literature
DOWN
1 Dry white wine 2 Jones who played Angie Tribeca 3 Keep showing up in a book and film series? 4 Turned from white to pink, maybe 5 Pot top 6 Big pictures? 7 Company behind Hello Kitty 8 “You’re a better man than I am” poem 9 “Allergic to Water” singer DiFranco 10 Travel expert Steves
11 Words before Base or spades 12 Quit messing around 13 Japanese appetizer 14 Advisory councils 21 Healed up 25 Dry, as Italian wine 28 Former New York Jets owner Leon 29 Muppet whose tweets often end with “Scram!” 31 “___ Hope” (1980s ABC soap) 34 Three-note chord 36 Machine that helps with sleep apnea 38 Fix firmly in place 39 “Wide slot” device 40 “Cautionary Tales for Children” author Belloc 41 Evasive sorts 43 Enjoy immensely 44 Instrument in a “Legend of Zelda” title 45 Spins around 48 “Little Women” author 51 Furious with 53 Actress Linney of “Kinsey” 56 “Africa” band 58 “So ___” (Kid Rock song) 60 Wheaton of “The Big Bang Theory” 62 Malleable metal
For answers go to: www.randomlengthsnews.com
EMPLOYMENT
© 2020 MATT JONES, Jonesin’ Crosswords
[Development, from p. 3]
Pacific Ave. Development addition, he said the records are inaccurate. “Page eight of their planning shows the entire area spans through Grand Avenue; it’s a gross misrepresentation, yet it fails to show the numerous adjacent residential homes over which the development towers,” Gould said. “It’s only one of a plethora of misleading documents supplied by the developer.” Gould said the project should be considered alongside the developer’s project at 2111 Pacific Ave. and said they were originally considered together. Chauv said that a hearing was held for the 2111 Pacific Ave. project in January on the same day as a hearing for the 1309-1331 S. Pacific Ave. project. However, the two projects are independent of each other. They have separate entitlement applications and
are over half-a-mile away. “One project does not rely on the other in order to move forward, so it is not considered piecemealing,” Chauv said. John Smith, a 16-year resident of San Pedro, observed that the 1309-1331 S. Pacific Ave. project did not have community support. “At the meeting at the San Pedro Municipal building, it was overflowing out the hallway with residents,” John Smith recalled. “There were only two witnesses other than the developer in support.” One of those two was a neighborhood council member, Smith said. He went on to say the proposed development was out of scale with the surrounding buildings and did not take into consideration the concerns of the neighbors. “Traffic and parking are massive problems that this will
contribute to,” John Smith said. However, the entire community was not against the project. Steve Smith, another San Pedro resident, said he supported the project because the area needs more quality housing. “This is a dilapidated block in San Pedro, we recently had a murder and stabbing right in this vicinity,” Steve Smith said. “The developers are taking an extreme risk building in this area, but it’s something we need.” Aksel Palacios, the planning deputy for Councilman Joe Buscaino, also expressed support for the project. He recognized that there was opposition from the community, but said that the shortage of housing in California justifies it. He said the point of the density bonus program was to create affordable and market-rate housing.
Elise Swanson, president and chief executive officer of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, said that the chamber supports the project because it addresses the need for more housing in Los Angeles. In addition, it will economically benefit the local community. “This area on Pacific Avenue will greatly benefit from the infusion of new investment and new housing,” Swanson said. The chamber recommended approving the project, including the requested density bonuses. Even though this project doesn’t include any ground floor retail to integrate it with the surrounding business area or create any long term small business opportunities or local jobs, the chamber still supported it.
statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 04/16/2020, 04/30/2020, 05/14/2020, 05/30/20
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020065869 The following person is doing business as: Rudy’s Construction, 1279 W 24th Street #1, San Pedro CA 90731. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Dimitrios Tsikiniadopoulos, 1279 W 24th Street #1, San Pedro CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 1/2004. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he
DBA
Filing & Publishing
$
140
Remember to renew your DBA every five years
Blazing Fast Internet! ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY
19.99
$
/mo.
where available
2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE
Yeah, went to that drivethrough facility at Long Beach Community College with myself my wife and her brother it’s been over a week we’ve been notified nothing how the test results came out so they basically just took a swab or DNA for nothing great glad I gave that up without my consent it is such a scam in the media in such a scam what they’re doing to us and taking our jobs from us and this is just another perfect example of a waste of our time when are the people going to wise up go back to work claim our country back we’re being penalized for 3% of the population that has an infection will the other 97% keep around it at home and lose everything Tom Los Angeles Harbor Area
EST. 1931
$20 OFF Wheel Alignment
for most makes and models • Reg. price $70 to $150 Not valid with other offers
America’s Top 120 Package
MO.
190 CHANNELS
Including Local Channels! CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100 for 12 Mos.
1-866-303-5809
Offer ends 7/15/20.
All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification.
April 30 - May 13, 2020
Divorce $159-$289 + Filing Fee Bankruptcy $695 + Filing Fee Living Trust $375 Will $175 • Probate $299 Basic Prices for Simple Cases
05/14/2020, 05/30/20
The best idea for injecting cash into the economy is to forgive all student debt. What doesn’t help is propping up the oil companies so they can drill for oil, have no place to sell it and have to store the blasted oil. And since we are running out of storage, caves are being considered. So … take the oil out of a hole in the ground, then put
the oil back in a cave. How about we stop producing oil and start investing in green technology. Marlane Gomard Meyer Hollywood
310-519-1442
or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Dimitrios Tsikiniadopoulos, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on March 9, 2018. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920, were it to expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 04/16/2020, 04/30/2020,
GSA, according to the GSA website. CNN reached out to the Trump family and a spokesperson for the organization for comment but has not received a response. Eric Trump, one of the President’s sons who oversees the family business, confirmed the request to the Times and said they were asking the GSA about relief the agency may be giving other federal tenants. Greg Nelson Los Angeles
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020058175 The following person is doing business as: Coastline Coatings, 1279 W 24th Street #1, San Pedro CA 90731. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Dimitrios Tsikiniadopoulos, 1279 W 24th Street #1, San Pedro CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 1/2004. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Dimitrios Tsikiniadopoulos, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on March 9, 2018. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920, were it to expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name
[Letters, from p. 9]
Wheel Alignment Special
DBA FILINGS [from p. 18]
RANDOMLetters
19
20
April 30 - May 13, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant